Page 16 of Highest Bid

Minutes later, she handed him a mug. “I usually sit on the balcony at the back. It’s small, but it has views of a park with some big shady trees.”

He nodded. “After you.”

They took a seat at the round glass table and sipped their coffees with quiet introspection. Only when two young girls ran through the park toward a pair of swings, their blonde hair soon fanning out behind them as they climbed higher and higher into the air, did Galan turn to Layla and ask, “What was your childhood like?”

She blinked, shocked by his sudden interest. “It was...unconventional.” She knew he’d lost his parents. Everyone who worked at the club knew about the brothers’ tragic loss.

“Oh?”

“My parents have a volatile relationship. But living apart has never been an option for either one of them.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. It can’t have been easy growing up in that kind of environment.”

“It wasn’t,” she conceded. “I was an only child.” If only things had been different. “So I had no one to talk to when things got really rough.”

He reached over the table and clasped her hand. “My two brothers can be a challenge at times, but I’d do anything for them. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine a life without them in it.”

A hot flush moved through Layla, and she fought back sudden tears. She wouldn’t cry, not now. She’d done too much of that in the past. Her voice steady, she said, “You’re so lucky to have them.”

“I know. And, all too often, I take them for granted.” He stood and drew her to her bare feet. “Let’s get out of here for a while.”

In her bare feet, she had to crane back her neck. “You’re not working today either?”

He smiled. “I’m always working.” He pulled out his cell phone and added, “But I can also delegate when I see the need.”

“Then I’d better get changed.”

He smiled as he pushed speed dial on his cell. “What you’re wearing is perfect. Just grab some sandals or whatever is comfortable.”

A little over an hour later, Sydney was far behind them when Galan turned off the highway onto a road that narrowed considerably the further he drove. Gum trees with gnarled branches and shedding white bark shaded much of the road with their canopy, and Layla opened her window to breathe in the potent eucalyptus.

A salty-brine scent saturated the air minutes later, and they topped a rise to see the blue-green expanse of ocean revealed in the distance, sparkling under a mid-morning sun. Soon after, Galan drove into a quaint little town that was more like a fishing village, with almost every front or back yard revealing a well-used boat sitting on its trailer.

A pub, a tackle shop with boats for hire, and a general store with a single petrol pump were the only businesses in the tiny town of Kilmeedy Bay, and Layla delighted in the country-coastal charm of the place. She turned to Galan. “Have you been here before?”

He nodded. “Yeah. But not since my parents died.” He rubbed at his brow. “There used to be a caravan park and campground right on the beach over there. Mom and Dad would book months in advance to make sure we’d enjoy our annual fishing trips as a family.”

She turned away from the endless ribbon of crystal-clear ocean and white sandy beach to look back at Galan. “Have the memories here made it too painful to return before today?”

“Maybe.” His shrug turned into a grimace. “I’m not even sure if Aiden or Liam has been back; we’ve never talked about it. But with getting the nightclub and restaurant off the ground, there hasn’t been a lot of time to think about much else.”

He slowed, then parked his SUV under the shade of a trio of palm trees near the beach shoreline. Killing the engine, he turned to Layla and asked, “Care to take a walk along the beach?”

She smiled, feeling warm and gooey inside, knowing he’d brought her someplace so special to him and his family. “I’d love to.”

They left their shoes in the car, and Galan folded up the hem of his pants and claimed her hand before they crossed the warm-verging-on-hot sand. The spring day was clear and beautiful, the gentle ocean waves lapping at their feet a cool, refreshing caress.

“This is glorious.” She lifted her face to the sun and the cloudless, azure sky. “So peaceful.”

“It is,” he agreed.

She glanced at him with a smile. “I’m so glad I got to share this special place with you.”

“I’m glad you did, too,” he said softly, before he drew her to him.

He bent his head and their mouths touched in a tender, intimate kiss that sent a hot shiver down her spine. Her toes curled in the wet sand when Galan finally pulled back, looking as dazed as she felt. They stayed silent when they continued walking hand-in-hand, until a lone seagull overhead loudly cawed.

Galan laughed. “Sorry, bud, no fish and chips today.” He glanced her way. “Speaking of which, the pub does great food. We can grab some takeaway and sit on the beach, or find a table in the air-conditioned dining room.”

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